RSS launches Statistical Excellence in Journalism 2018 awards

The RSS has just launched its 2018 ‘Statistical Excellence in Journalism’ awards, which commends reporters for their use of statistics and numbers in bringing the day’s news stories to life.

Now in their 12th year, ago, the awards have honoured numerous stats-savvy journalists, such as the BBC Reality Check team, Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News, Daniel Finkelstein of The Times, Mona Chalabi of the Guardian US, Martin Beckford of The Mail on Sunday and Alberto Nardelli of BuzzFeed.

Anyone working in the media - either from the UK or elsewhere - is eligible to enter suitable stories from the 2017 calendar year, which make good use of statistics and data. Entries can be self-nominated, with a maximum of three entries per journalist, and will be judged against set criteria by an RSS panel.

The deadline for entries is 16 March 2018. Winners will be invited to collect their prize at our awards ceremony and summer reception which takes place at the Royal Statistical Society in London on 12 July 2018.

Commenting on the launch, Jennifer Rogers, RSS vice president for external affairs, said: 'As statisticians, I fear that we are often too focused on pointing out the bad statistical practice we see throughout the media, that we fail to acknowledge the many examples of good practice that are out there. Our journalism awards are an excellent opportunity to highlight those stories which make effective use of statistics and data. This year we are particularly looking for entries which include data visualisation as it can be such a powerful tool for conveying complex data sets.'